NCA is celebrating a century of service to the industry in 2011, and will kick off its Centennial year by setting aside Thursday, January 20, 2011 as a day for a National Coffee Break. Commemorating coffee’s iconic place in U.S. history and culture, NCA will encourage industry members nationwide to mark the day by spearheading special customer-facing activities and events.

This nationwide coffee celebration is part of the NCA’s National Coffee Break campaign, a larger effort to create excitement around coffee culture and consumption that will continue throughout that week and into NCA’s Centennial year. Providing a thematic backdrop and driver for the campaign is an anchor website – www.nationalcoffeebreak.org – which combines knowledge, entertainment and promotional opportunities on a dynamic, interactive platform. NCA also has set up special social media platforms on Twitter (@NtnlCoffeeBreak) and Facebook (NationalCoffeeBreak) to expand visibility and industry engagement.

“Coffee has brought people together for centuries, and the coffee break has been part of the fabric of U.S. culture since the 1880s,” said NCA President & CEO Robert Nelson. ”As we mark our Centennial, NCA wants to put coffee culture and traditions into the eyes, ears and minds of industry members and their customers as they share a cup of coffee on January 20 and continue to celebrate coffee heritage and enjoyment in 2011 and beyond.”

By design, the campaign seeks active participation from industry members who will drive National Coffee Break activities on January 20, as well as creates a rich and comprehensive compendium of coffee knowledge, history, memorabilia, testimonials and more in a dynamic online format. NCA is inviting industry members to participate by submitting current and historic brand materials, print advertisements, television commercials, links to websites and social media accounts, logos and other insignias, memorabilia, and so on, for posting on the site. The resulting content will reinforce NCA’s efforts to celebrate coffee’s heritage, encourage curiosity and involvement, and drive interest and consumption, as well as create visibility for industry brands, products and services. NCA is also offering special sponsorship opportunities for those interested in enhanced participation and visibility.

For more information, contact Joe DeRupo at 212-766-4007 or jfderupo@ncausa.org to learn more.